


She's the Man!

by marispots



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: AU based off the movie She's the Man, Adrien is her roommate, F/M, Marinette disguised as a boy, Shenanigans ensues, They're both on the fencing team
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-07
Updated: 2016-08-18
Packaged: 2018-08-07 05:57:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 17,440
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7703212
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/marispots/pseuds/marispots
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Marinette is denied entry to a fencing team due to her gender, she finds a way around it by pretending to be her twin brother, Mark. She attends his school in disguise and fences on the team to prove herself. She also meets and befriends Mark's roommate and fencing teammate, Adrien Agreste, and falls into a strangely familiar relationship with him. Based off the movie She's the Man, which is in turn an AU of Twelfth Night by Shakespeare.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

“ _En garde!_ ” Ladybug yelled, wielding one half of her partner’s staff as she charged at him.

“I know… that you’re… really excited about this… but for the last time… the ref is the only one that says that!” Chat Noir said in between blocks. He was also holding a half of his staff, and backing up along the rooftop as Ladybug advanced and swung at him.

“Less talking!” Ladybug called, lunging at him. Chat ducked and rolled out of the way. “More fencing! Don’t go easy on me either, kitty!”

Chat chuckled before cracking his neck back and forth. “Well, if that’s what My Lady wishes…” He sprinted forward, clashing staffs with Ladybug. She backed up and tried to jab, but Chat easily deflected it.

“Remember that defense is just as important as offense,” Chat instructed.

Ladybug scoffed and lunged again. With a flick of his wrist, Chat brought his staff up and under hers and disarmed her. The staff went flying off the roof and into the road below, and before Ladybug could swing down and get it, she was knocked off her feet and pinned to the ground. Chat grinned from above her.

“I’m not an expert, but I’m pretty sure this isn’t in the rules,” Ladybug quipped, glancing at the position he had her in.

“Sadly, you’re correct,” Chat sighed, jumping to his feet and pulling Ladybug up with him. She dusted off her suit and glared at her partner before swinging her yo-yo to an opposite building and launching herself off the roof to the ground below.

“You’re getting better, though,” Chat yelled after her, leaping down the side of the building as well. She handed him the retrieved half of his staff and he put the weapon together again before fastening it to his belt.

“Not as good as you, though,” Ladybug sighed. Chat waved his hand.

“I’ve been fencing since I was little,” he reminded her. “Trust me, you’re good.”

She grinned up at him, pushing him good-naturedly in the shoulder.

Chat Noir was her best friend, there was no doubt about that. They’d been fighting together for nearly three years now, and she couldn't imagine a life without him in it. His awkward flirting had long since fallen away, and now there was a trust between them that was deeper than she’d ever known.

It wasn’t quite love, but it wasn’t platonic either. Whatever it was, Ladybug was content. She just liked to have him by her side when they faced evil and protected their home together.

“It’s getting late,” Chat sighed, crossing his arms and looking up at the moon. “I need to go.”

“You _just_ got here, Chat!” Ladybug complained. “This was an even shorter patrol than last week!”

“I know… it’s just – I have work to do, I’m sorry,” he tried to explain.

“On a Saturday night?” Ladybug asked skeptically. “Yeah right. You’re probably just going to a party, or hanging out with your _girlfriend_ or something.”

“Not a big partier,” Chat shrugged. “And for the last time, I _don’t_ have a girlfriend. If I did, you’d be the first one I’d tell, trust me.”

Ladybug watched the light red dusting creep to his cheeks, and tried to hide her grin. The fact that he’d trust her with such a thing before anyone else made her heart soar.

“Let’s patrol tomorrow night,” Ladybug said.

“On a school night…?”

“That never stopped us when we were in middle school!”

“Yeah, and we weren’t on the verge of applying for colleges in middle school, either,” he retorted. Ladybug groaned and stomped her foot. Chat chuckled at her, and placed his hands on her shoulders.

“I’m sorry… life is busy,” he told her. “But I promise… next weekend, we will definitely meet up. I’ll even give you another fencing lesson!”

Ladybug looked into his reassuring green eyes before nodding slowly. “Okay,” she whispered. Chat’s hands tightened and he smiled down at her.

“Before you go,” she said, reaching down to her belt and unclipping a rolled up piece of paper, “I have something for you.”

“I’d been wondering what that was,” Chat laughed, moving beside her to get a good look. Ladybug unrolled the paper and revealed a sketch of the Paris skyline at night. On the back was writing – comments and critics on the artwork.

“Oh!” Chat yelped, snatching the paper from her. Ladybug grinned as he read over the writing diligently. “I can’t believe you actually took the time to write all of this!”

“Well, of course,” Ladybug smiled. “Your artwork has gotten so good!”

“Only because you’re a great teacher,” Chat instantly responded, his eyes not leaving the paper as he finished scanning it. “Hmm… you think the shading needs some more work?”

“Not much – just to enhance the shadows a bit more and give it some more depth.”

Chat nodded. “Ahh, I see.”

It was a trade-off, of sorts. For the past year or so, Chat Noir had been teaching Ladybug how to fence, and she, in turn, had been helping him with his sketching and artwork. Chat Noir was _good_ , but his style was constantly changing… one week he was focused on sketching, and then the next watercolors… sometimes he drew landscapes, and other days abstract art. It was hard to recognize and distinguish his artwork and style at times.

She’d asked about this on numerous occasions. How come nothing ever looked the same? How come he never stuck to one style – tried to perfect it?

“Sticking to such a strict schedule like that is boring,” he’d remarked one summer evening. “Besides, unpredictability is so much fun!”

“I like this style you have this week,” Ladybug tried to tell her partner, watching as he rolled up the paper and stuck it in his belt. “Maybe you should…”

“Not a chance,” he laughed. “I’m going to come back next week with something _crazy_ , you won’t even be able to tell that I drew it!”

“I can _never_ tell that you drew it,” she stated, and Chat shrugged.

“I’m off, My Lady,” he bowed before jumping up onto their rooftop from before. The moon behind him casted his figure in a dark shadow, and she squinted to try and make out his green eyes in the darkness. “Keep practicing with the fencing!”

“Sure thing! I’ll see you next week!” Ladybug called. It wasn’t a question but a statement, and she saw Chat hesitate before nodding and jumping out of sight.

As time went on and they both grew older, she always noticed that he hesitated more and more before agreeing to meet with her.

When, she wondered, would that hesitation turn into something worse?

***** 

“He didn’t come again.”

Marinette sat on her bed, the night late and the moon casting dark shadows around her dorm room. Alya, her best friend and roommate, was out shooting for a project, so she had the room to herself.

Tikki, recently having separated from Marinette’s transformation, flew up to her charge and rubbed against her cheek in comfort.

“He’s… busy, Marinette.”

“It’s been two months,” she sighed. “This is the longest I’ve ever gone without seeing him on patrol.” Her expression darkened. “And with the akuma attacks having stopped recently…”

Tikki looked up at Marinette with concern, and flew over to her open closet. She tugged on something wedged into the mountain of stuff Marinette had piled up in there.

“Tikki? What are you…?”

_Crash!_

“Oof!”

Tikki went flying across the room, and Marinette jumped up to catch her kwami in her hands.

“Thanks, Marinette,” Tikki said dizzily, shaking her small head.

Marinette sighed before reaching down and picking up what Tikki had pulled loose. It was her fencing sword, the one Chat Noir had given her about a year ago, when they’d first started training together.

“Tikki…?” Marinette questioned, watching as her kwami gathered herself and flew over to her desk. She picked up a toothpick and held it out. “ _En garde_ , Marinette!”

“Pfthhh…” Marinette doubled over, holding her sides as she started laughing out loud. Tikki started giggling as well, and flew over before poking Marinette in the chest with the toothpick.

“Wah! Hey!” Marinette cried, trying to subside her laughter as she held the spot where Tikki had poked her.

“I win!” Tikki cheered, holding the toothpick up triumphantly. Marinette stuck her tongue out at her small friend before reaching for her and gathering her up in one arm.

“Thanks, Tikki,” she whispered, cuddling up to the kwami. “It means a lot.”

“I just really like it when you smile, Marinette,” Tikki said. “Chat Noir will come around soon, I believe that!”

“I just… miss him a lot,” Marinette sighed. Chat Noir had been her best friend for three years… she told him everything that was on her mind, and even though they only knew each other behind the masks, Marinette didn’t care… their friendship was still something so strong that she felt empty without him.

She glanced down at the fencing sword and turned it over in her hands. “I loved fencing with him, too… it was _our_ thing, you know?”

If… if she couldn’t continue fencing with Chat… then…

“That’s it!” Marinette yelped, and Tikki jumped in surprise at the sudden outburst. “How come I didn’t think of this before!?”

Marinette raced to her computer and opened a tab. Tikki watched over her shoulder as she started typing.

“Uhhh... what exactly are you doing?” Tikki asked.

“Give me… one second… and… _here_!”

She beamed as Tikki read the website’s title. “D’Argencourt’s Fencing Club?”

“It’s a local fencing club that meets in a gym a few subway stops from here,” Marinette explained. “Chat told me about it once… and it’s right next to Mark’s school too, look!” She pointed to the map that was pulled up on her computer screen.

“Mark… your brother?” Tikki questioned, flying closer to the screen to get a better look. Marinette nodded, and glanced down at a picture frame next to her computer. She and her twin brother, Mark, had been very close as children. Now in separate boarding schools across Paris, they didn't catch up with each other as much as she would have liked. On top of that, Mark was pretty distant with their parents, while Marinette was still very much close to them.

    “They have an open tryout tomorrow,” Marinette read, scanning the notices on their website. “Maybe I can kill two birds with one stone and visit Mark while I’m in the area!” She clapped her hands and stood up triumphantly. “It’s decided, then! Tikki, I’m trying out for a fencing team!”

“Horaay!” Tikki cheered, throwing her toothpick up in the air.

Marinette beamed, and picked up the fencing sword before turning it over lightly in her hands.

_You’ll see just how good I can really be, Chat Noir…_

*****

Marinette stared up at the gym’s entrance in front of her, the word _D’Argencourt’s_ scrawled across the sign in brilliant cursive. Her sword was gripped in one hand, and her gym bag slung over her other shoulder.

“Come on, Marinette!” Tikki urged her, peeking out from inside her bag. “You can do this!”

Marinette nodded, and took a deep breath before pushing open the gym door and stepping inside.

The gym was large, with a high ceiling and large windows that let in a lot of light. The wooden floor was covered by a blue mat, and people covered head to toe in fencing uniforms were warming up and facing each other.

Marinette looked down at her T-shirt and shorts and cringed – maybe she should have purchased a fencing outfit for this after all. Shaking her head, she made her way over to the bleachers where a bunch of nervous boys were sitting – no doubt the new people trying out.

“Excuse me,” she asked the nearest boy, who was stretching in front of the bleachers. He looked up at her. “Do I have to sign up anywhere?”

“Yeah. With the coach – he’s in his office.” He hesitated before looking her up and down. “Are you… uh… actually trying out?”

Marinette narrowed her eyes at the boy, slightly confused. What did he mean by that? Was it because she didn’t have a uniform…?

“Yeah, I am,” she stated, looking down at her attire. “I’ll buy a uniform soon, but I didn’t think that I needed it on the first day.”

“Uhh… sure,” the boy said slowly, and Marinette raised an eyebrow before turning and heading toward the coach’s office.

“That was weird,” she whispered, and she felt Tikki nod in approval inside her bag.

The coach’s “office” was basically just a tiny little room that might have been a janitor’s closet at one point. The door was open, and Marinette saw an older man sitting at a desk. He was dressed in a fencing uniform, and was scribbling something down on a piece of paper.

“Hello,” Marinette greeted him. He stopped writing and squinted up at her. 

“Can I help you?” He asked.

“Yes! My name is Marinette Dupain-Cheng,” she introduced herself. “You must be Coach D’Argencourt! I’m here to try out for the team!”

Coach D’Argencourt squinted his little eyes even further at her. “Come again?” He asked.

“I know I don’t have a uniform and all, but I’ll get one after today,” Marinette remarked, glancing down at the list he’d been writing on. It was a list of names – no doubt all of the new people who were trying out for the team. “I’ll sign my name and start warming up, sir.”

“That won’t be necessary,” D’Argencourt said slowly, pulling the list back as she reached for it. Marinette froze. “I think you should just head on home, miss.”

“… Excuse me?”

“How do I put this?” He sighed, rubbing his temple before looking back up at her. “We do not accept girls on this team, miss. Fencing is an aggressive sport, and most of these boys are half your size. It would be dangerous for someone such as yourself to fence on a team like this.”

Marinette’s eyes widened. Was he… _was he serious?!_

“Sir,” she protested, trying to keep her voice steady and calm. Inside, her veins were heating up with anger. “I disagree. I don’t think it matters that I’m a girl at all, I’m a good fencer and –”

“It does not matter how good you think you are, miss. You are not as good as these boys on this team, and I am sure of that,” he snapped.

_Oh HELL no!_

“I’m signing up for this team,” Marinette stated, moving forward and slamming her hands on his desk – all sense of trying to stay polite completely thrown out the window. “The fact that you are basing my abilities on my gender is _sexist_ , sir!”

“Excuse me, watch your tone!” D’Argencourt snapped, rising up from his seat and glaring down at her. His stringy mustache twitched in front of his lip. “Please leave this gym at once, young lady.”

“But –”

“Leave before I call security!”

Marinette breathed heavily, staring at D’Argencourt before she forced her feet to move and retreat back toward the door. “Thank you for your time, _sir_ ,” she spat, closing the door behind her and racing toward the exit of the gym hurriedly. Most of the boys out on the blue matt were staring at her as she left, no doubt having heard the commotion in the office.

Once she was back outside on the street, Marinette leaned against the wall to the gym and sunk down to the ground, her head in her hands.

“I can’t believe that guy,” she muttered, her fists clenched. “Tikki, what am I going to do? There’s no other fencing clubs that are close to my school…”

“I don’t know, Marinette,” Tikki sighed, poking her head out from her bag. “That old man was absolutely awful! I bet you could beat him in a fight any day!”

Marinette looked down at her kwami’s determined little eyes and giggled, patting her on the head softly. “You’re right,” she winked.

“… Marinette?”

Marinette stiffened, and latched onto her bag as Tikki disappeared inside. Making sure that her kwami was well hidden, she looked up at the boy with short, dark blue hair approaching her from down the sidewalk, waving.

“Mark!” Marinette called in surprise, jumping to her feet and running to meet him. “What are you doing here?”

Her twin smiled at her, pulling her into a hug. “I should be asking the same thing!” He laughed. “This is totally _not_ your subway stop, right?"

“Uhh, I was just – uh, taking a walk,” Marinette lied quickly, rubbing the back of her head. “It’s so nice out today, so I… uh… yeah!”

“Okaaay,” Mark said slowly, looking down at her. “Are you alright?”

“Perfect!”

“Well, that’s good then,” he smiled, ushering her to walk with him. As they got further and further away from the gym, Marinette’s frazzled nerves and anger resided. “This is so funny meeting you here, because I was gonna actually call you today and see if you wanted to stop by.”

“Wait… _really_?”

“Yeah, really! Don’t act so shocked!”

That was strange… Mark _never_ asked Marinette or her parents to stop by his school.

“I haven’t even seen your dorm room since you moved in last fall,” Marinette joked, and Mark glanced down at her.

“Sorry… I always mean to call you and stuff, it’s just –”

“I know,” Marinette said quickly, waving a hand to dismiss his concerns. “Mark, don’t worry about it – I’m busy at school too.”

They kept causally chatting about their separate lives – catching up with each other – until they reached Mark’s boarding school. It was nestled next to a quiet park behind the bustling Paris streets – St. Godfrey’s School for Men. _Another thing just for men, huh?_ Marinette thought bitterly. Still, though, it was a nice little school with old buildings, and a sort of pleasant air around it.

“Here,” Mark gestured, leading her up to an older grey building and opening the door. He led her up a flight of stairs and down a hallway. He stopped in front of Room 213, unlocked the door, and ushered her inside.

“Let me guess which side is yours,” Marinette laughed, noticing that one side of the room was significantly more messy than the other. Mark’s clothes and books were strewn around the floor and covering his bed.

“You already know I’m messy, don’t act surprised,” Mark groaned, racing to his closet and pulling out a duffel bag.

“So,” Marinette started, clearing off his bed and sitting down. “What do you want to do? Go get lunch?”

Mark looked over his shoulder at her, holding the duffel bag in front of him. “About that,” he started. Marinette raised an eyebrow at him. “I actually have to start packing.”

“…Packing? For where?” She asked, watching as he started packing clothes into his bag.

“America.”

“ _America_?!” Marinette asked in disbelief, standing up in shock.

Mark glanced up at her quickly. “Yeah. That’s the plan,” he said, rummaging around for his drumsticks in one of his drawers. “Some guys I know in New York City need a new drummer and well… what can I say? They’re on the rise, we could _make it_ out there!”

Marinette blinked, trying to process this. Her twin brother was just… packing up and leaving?! Going to another country…? She knew he’d always been interested in music and playing the drums, but this was ridiculous!

“What about mom and dad?” Marinette asked instantly, her arms crossed.

“They’re busy with the bakery, they hardly have time to come and visit in person,” he explained. “Besides, I don’t talk to them much anyways.”

“W-what about the school, though?! They’ll tell mom and dad if you stop coming to class, you know how strict they are, and you’re already under academic probation!” Marinette protested, grabbing Mark’s arm to stop him from packing. He paused, and then merely smirked down at her.

“Yeah, my school _is_ super strict,” he voiced. “But _your_ hippy art school isn’t.”

_Wha…_

“What?!” She asked, anger laced into her tone. “ _Hippy_?!”

“You know what I mean,” Mark continued, placing a hand on his sister’s shoulder. “You’re a straight A student, and mom and dad _never_ get letters from your school… you could come up with some little excuse, miss class for a couple months, and mom and dad would _never_ know!”

“That’s true, but… why are you even talking about this…?” Marinette trailed off, and her eyes widened as she watched Mark’s sheepish grin grow.

_No way…_

_Was he asking her to…?_

“No.” She turned to leave.

“C-come on, Marinette!” Mark panicked, running in front of his door and blocking her way out. “Just for a couple of months, please! It’s already April, summer is right around the corner – come on, _please!”_

“ _You’re crazy_!” Marinette shouted, wrestling him for the door knob. “I should have known that there was a reason for you inviting me here! I always knew you were dumb, but this is ridiculous! Ugh _, let – me – out_!”

“Hey hey hey hey,” Mark said frantically, grabbing her arms and wrestling Marinette away from the door. “Please just hear me out – all you would need to do is pretend that you’re me for a couple months, go to my classes, and that’s it! I would owe you forever! It would be easy, I mean I’m already pretty feminine looking… unfortunately… but you could totally pass as me!”

“Mark, I _like_ where I go to school, I’m not gonna just quit going there because _you_ want to be _rock star_ or something,” she argued, shaking out of his grip and crossing her arms furiously.

“I know, but… it would just be really awesome of you, alright?” Mark sighed. “You wouldn’t have to do much at all… my roommate is chill, he’s on a trip with his dad right now so he won’t be back until next week… I’m on a fencing team, but you don’t have to go to those, you can quit because –”

“Wait.”

Mark paused, and looked down at his sister’s wide blue eyes.

“You’re on a fencing team?" 

He looked at her, confused at her sudden interest. “Yeah… at D’Argencourt’s…”

“ _Shut up!_ ” Marinette yelled, and Mark jumped back. “I never knew this!”

“It’s something on the side, I mean I’m not very good or anything...”

This whole thing that her twin brother was proposing was absolutely crazy… but… this was Marinette’s chance! If she could just pretend to be Mark for a little bit, and take his place on the fencing team, then… she could prove herself! D’Argencourt would be sorry for not letting her try out just because of her gender!

But was it really worth it, to miss class at her own school? She’d have to break it to Alya… This whole thing was going to be hard to pull off, to say the least…

“Marinette?” Mark asked tentatively, pulling her out of her tumbled thoughts.

She sighed before nodding. “I’ll do it.”

“AHHHH, YOU’RE THE BEST SISTER EVER!!” Mark cried, crushing her into a hug. She protested loudly as he swung her around. “Thank you, thank you, thank you!”

“You owe me big time!” She yelled over him, hitting him on the shoulder until he let her down.

“I knew that you wouldn’t leave your poor brother hanging, though,” he grinned, jumping over to his desk and pulling out a manila envelope. He handed it to her. “Here’s everything you need to know about my classes, my friends, my roommate - we don’t talk much so don’t worry – oh and my schedule is in there too.”

She took the envelope in her hands and scoffed at him. “Confident much?”

He grinned again before ruffling her hair and grabbing his packed duffel bag. “The key to the room is in there, too. My plane leave in a couple hours, so I have to head over to the airport.”

“Wow… okay,” Marinette said, walking with him over to the door. “I didn’t think you were leaving so soon… it was good to see you.”

“Hey. I love you,” he smiled, pulling her into a last hug. “You’re seriously the best sister ever.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Marinette laughed, pushing him away. “Don’t come back until you’re a rich rock star like Jagged Stone, alright?" 

He laughed, and gave her the thumbs up. “You got it!” And then he was gone, racing down the hall and out of sight.

Marinette watched him go, and sighed before glancing back down at the envelope in her hands.

_She had a lot of work to do…_


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “That sounded good!” Alya cheered. “Just keep doing that, alright? You’re going to be fine! And remember – you’re a guy, and he’s a guy – you’re just two guys hanging out, alright?”
> 
> “You got it… bruh.”
> 
> “Oh, Marinette,” Alya winced.
> 
> “Alya, I don’t know what I’m doing!!” She shouted, throwing her hands in the air.

“You have _got_ to be kidding me.”

Marinette stood grinning nervously in front of Alya, watching as her friend pushed her glasses closer to her face and stared at her best friend. They were both in their dorm room, Alya having just returned from the local TV station, where she interned.

“St. Godfrey’s?”

“Yup!”

“Fencing?”

“Uh-huh!”

“… Disguising yourself as your brother for two months so he can go pursue his dreams of being a drummer in America?”

“Ehehe…” 

Alya sighed before standing up from her bed. “Well,” she said slowly, walking over to throw an arm around Marinette’s shoulder. “You’re crazy, but that’s what I love about you.”

“Oh – _Alya_!” Marinette cheered, grabbing her best friend into a hug. Alya laughed, hugging her back.

“If we’re going to pull this off, then we have _a lot_ of work to do,” Alya stated, hopping back onto her bed and grabbing her phone. “We’ll have to think of some type of excuse for you to leave school… we might need to forge your parents’ signatures to make sure that the school doesn’t contact them.”

“Who are you calling?” Marinette asked, watching as Alya put her phone up to her ear. 

“Nino,” she stated simply, and Marinette’s eyes widened. “Mari, relax! He goes to St. Godfrey’s so he can help you out when you’re there! Plus, his uncle is a doctor, so we can get a fake doctor’s note or something and get you a leave of absence for the rest of the year. Besides, he’s my _boyfriend **,**_ we can trust him.”

“Okay,” Marinette sighed, jumping up onto Alya bed as well and putting her ear close to the receiver. 

“Hey buddy,” Alya greeted into the phone.

“ _Wow, ‘buddy.’ That’s really romantic_ ,” Marinette heard Nino quip on the other line.

“I need a favor,” Alya asked, ignoring his remark. “Well, actually, Marinette needs a favor.” Alya clicked the phone onto speaker mode, and Marinette grinned sheepishly.

“Hi, Nino!” She greeted.

“ _Hey, Marinette. What’s up?”_

“Uh.. well, I… um –”

“Marinette needs to disguise herself as a boy and attend St. Godfrey’s for a couple of months to help out her brother, and to show up the sexist coach over at D’Argencourt’s,” Alya stated simply. Marinette hit her on the arm, silently screaming in protest at her blunt approach to the situation. “Can you help us?”

There was silence on the other end of the line for a few moments before Nino chuckled. “ _Sounds like a lot of shenanigans,”_ he noted. “ _I’m in. I’ll be over in 20.”_

*****

A few hours later, the three friends sat on the floor in the middle of Alya and Marinette’s dorm room, a spread of materials and make-up that Marinette had purchased from her favorite art store down the street laid out in front of them.

“Here’s the doctor’s note, and the note from your parents temporarily withdrawing you from school,” Nino said, handing Marinette the documents that he had worked on and printed out. Nino was in a graphic design club at school, and knew how to do a lot with programs on the computer, including how to forge documents and signatures. Which was a… good thing? Well, at least right now it was.

“Thanks Nino,” Marinette smiled, placing the documents in the manila folder that her brother had given her.

“Now, let’s get started on the fun stuff,” Alya grinned, cracking her knuckles and picking up the short wig that Marinette had purchased from the store.

They spent the next few hours cutting the wig to match Mark’s hairstyle, putting together fake sideburns, and perfecting the subtle make-up techniques in order to make Marinette’s face look more rounded and masculine.

Nino offered her a few outfits of his, and soon Alya was pushing Marinette toward the bathroom so she could wrap her chest and get changed.

“This feels weird,” Marinette called to Alya, wincing at her reflection in the mirror as she wrapped the bandages around her chest. Once the wrappings were in place, she threw on the over-sized shirt and jeans, adjusted her wig, and stepped out the door.

“Woah,” Alya and Nino both gasped, staring at Marinette as she pulled at her shirt uncomfortably.

“You… look like Mark,” Alya stated.

“Are you sure…? Because I don’t really think –”

“Marinette, if I didn’t know that it was actually you, I’d totally date you,” Alya said.

“Woah, I’m _right_ here,” Nino muttered.

“But do you think I’ll be able to pull this off?” Marinette asked.

“Marinette, you look just like him,” Nino stressed. He held up the picture of Mark that they had been using as a reference next to Marinette’s face. “He… really is feminine looking.”

“And he’s self-conscious about it,” Marinette noted with a laugh.

“Girl, you are going to rock this,” Alya cheered, hugging her best friend. “Go show those fencing boys what Marinette Dupain-Cheng is made of." 

Marinette beamed, flattening down her wig and taking one last look at herself in the mirror. She did look like Mark… She could do this…

“Alright,” she nodded. 

*****

“So, what's your roommate’s name?” Nino quizzed Marinette. The three friends were sitting together on the crowded subway, Marinette sandwiched between Nino and Alya. It was Sunday afternoon, and Marinette was moving into her brother’s dorm. She was wearing her boy’s disguise, and gripped her duffel bag to her chest as she listened to Nino’s questions.

“Adrien,” she answered instantly, having memorized his name from the information that Mark had given her.

“Last name?”

“Uhm…”

“It starts with another A –”

“Agreste!”

Nino nodded. “Right. And who lives next door, in 212?”

“Kim and Max!”

“And in 214?”

“Ivan and Nathanael.”

“Right. And in 216?”

Marinette grinned, and punched Nino on the shoulder. “You, in a single!” She sighed in relief. “Thank god you live down the hall from my brother’s room!" 

“I never knew that you were related to him, actually,” Nino confessed. “I’m pretty close to Adrien, but we could never get your brother to stand still for a second. He was always running around from place to place – I think I talked to him maybe twice this year?”

“Marinette’s brother was always pretty flighty,” Alya said. “I’m not surprised that he dropped everything and went to America just to join a band.”

“I’m not surprised either,” Marinette giggled. Both Alya and Nino raised an eyebrow at her. “Uh… what’s wrong?”

“You… need to work on a guy’s voice,” Alya winced. “Try not to giggle, either…”

“A man’s voice?” Marinette asked blankly. She held a hand to her throat, realizing just how high pitched her regular speaking voice was. She cleared her throat before lowering her voice and making it raspier. “Umm… ahh, h-hey Alya, I mean – what’s good, sexy lady?”

Nino and Alya were silent before they both busted out into laughter. “D-d-don’t do that!” Alya cried, trying to calm her breathing as her laughter subsided. “Marinette, you have to act more natural!”

“I’m anything _but_ natural!” Marinette stressed.

“Here’s our stop,” Nino said, standing up as the train slowed. Alya hoisted a nervous Marinette out of her seat, and together the three friends hopped off the train and walked up the stairs into the street.

“Adrien’s on a trip with his dad and won’t be back until tomorrow morning, so you’ll have the whole day to get situated,” Nino told Marinette as they walked. “I’m right down the hall, and Alya is a few subway stops away.”

Marinette nodded, adjusting her wig and fake sideburns. They stopped in front of Mark’s dorm building, and climbed the stairs to the second floor.

Marinette fished her key out of her pocket and unlocked the door to Room 213 before pushing it open. She ushered Alya and Nino inside, and was about to close the door and lock it so she could practice her man voice some more when a foot stuck in the door.

“Woah, hold up!” A voice from the other side of the door called, and Marinette jumped back as the door was pushed open and a blonde boy with striking green eyes smiled down at her.

“Uh, uh, uh…” Marinette stammered, looking back to Alya and Nino in complete distress. They were both staring at the boy, their eyes wide.

“Adrien!” Nino said in surprise, trying to keep the panic out of his voice. He moved forward and hugged the boy. “You’re back a day early!”

“I convinced my father to let us leave early,” he grinned, before glancing around the room. “What are you two doing here? It’s good to see you again, Alya.”

“It’s good to see you, too!” Alya laughed nervously.

Adrien looked at Marinette, and grinned. Marinette felt her face go hot, and tried to keep the blush from her cheeks. “Mark, I haven’t seen you in awhile! You’re never here!”

Marinette opened her mouth before closing it again, not trusting herself to sound like a guy _at all_ in this situation. She merely nodded and awkwardly grinned back at Adrien before turning to Mark’s bed – desperately trying to hide her red face. 

“Hey, uh, Adrien – come to my rom for a sec,” Nino said quickly, grabbing Adrien by the arm and pulling him out the door before he could protest. Once the door was closed behind them, Marinette flopped onto her bed facedown, screaming into her pillow.

“Okay, calm down!” Alya told her, rushing over and pulling Marinette up. “Nino will keep him distracted for a few minutes, so we are having a crash course lesson _now_!”

“How am I going to talk to him, Alya?” Marinette groaned. “I don’t know anything about him, and he’s really cute, and I haven’t had time to stalk him online yet – what am I going to do?!”

“Let’s refrain from the online stalking, girl,” Alya stressed, dragging Marinette over to the middle of the room. “You just have to act natural with him, alright? He’s just your roommate! Don’t be weird around him, just talk to him like you’d talk to me…except… with a deeper voice!”

Marinette sighed, trying to calm her beating heart. She cleared her throat. “Like this?” She asked, straining her voice too low. She started coughing, and waved her hands in front of her face.

“Not so deep,” Alya said. She placed her hands on Marinette’s shoulders. “You can do this!”

Marinette nodded, squaring her shoulders and taking a deep breath. “You’re right,” she said, trying her best to deepen her voice.

“That sounded good!” Alya cheered. “Just keep doing that, alright? You’re going to be fine! And remember – you’re a guy, and he’s a guy – you’re just two guys hanging out, alright?”

“You got it… bruh.”

“Oh, _Marinette_ ,” Alya winced.

“ _Alya, I don’t know what I’m doing!!_ ” She shouted, throwing her hands in the air.

Mid-scream, the door opened again and Adrien walked in, Nino following behind him in distress. Adrien stopped, staring at Marinette in confusion.

She wished that the floor could just swallow her up right then and there. Coughing, Marinette cleared her throat and relaxed her shoulders, bringing her hands down to her sides.

“Uh –” Marinette stuttered awkwardly. “Y-yeah, Alya, I – don’t really know what I’m doing, like… all the time… life is just craaaaazy like that, right? Ehehehe…”

“Haha, same Mark! Good one!” Nino laughed, trying to force his voice to sound natural as he made his way past Adrien and clapped Marinette on the back.

Adrien smiled good-naturedly, even if he did look a little confused, and went over to his bed to start unpacking his bag.

“It’s best if you just stay quiet for now,” Alya whispered as she passed Marinette. She nodded, and watched as Adrien unpacked. He dumped out some pants and shorts before reaching in and pulling out a white uniform and a pointed sword.

Marinette gasped, and before she could stop herself she was walking closer to Adrien to get a better look. Alya and Nino’s eyes widened behind her in distress.

“You fence?” Marinette asked. Adrien looked up, his eyebrows furrowed.

“Yeah…? We’re on the same team, Mark…” 

_D’Argencourts?_ _He was?!_ Marinette laughed awkwardly before clearing her throat. “I-I knew that, Adrien, haha. I meant – uh – you brought your fencing stuff on your trip with you?”

“Oh. Yeah, I did!” Adrien told her, handing her his sword when he saw her eyeing it. “My dad wanted me to model in it during one of our shoots, so I brought it with me. I got a little practice in too, while I was there.”

Marinette looked back at Alya and Nino, mouthing the word “model?” at them in disbelief. They both nodded, and Marinette whistled before turning back around and balancing the sword in her hand. It was slightly heavier than Chat’s sword, and the hilt was bigger and more intricate.

“You’re going to practice tonight, right?” Adrien asked her, and Marinette’s head snapped up before she nodded instantly.

“Practice… yes, of course!” She hadn’t even known that there _was_ practice tonight.

“That’s good to hear,” Adrien grinned. “I haven’t seen you there in awhile. It’ll be good to have you back, Mark. We can walk together there, if you’d like.”

Marinette felt her face heating up, absolutely touched by the pure, genuine good air around this boy. “Thanks,” she sighed, but then quickly coughed when she realized how breathy that had came out. “I-I mean… thanks, man. Uh… Dude.”

Adrien looked at her before he busted out laughter. “You’re welcome… _bro._ ”

Marinette broke into a wide smile, and laughed along with him – almost forgetting all of the awkwardness in this new situation entirely.

Behind them, Nino and Alya stood together in disbelief. “Are they… _flirting_?” Nino whispered.

Alya merely shrugged.

*****

“So. How’s the drumming coming along?”

Adrien and Marinette were both walking down the sidewalk toward D’Argencourt’s, bags and swords in hand as they talked. Marinette was using Mark’s sword, as he had advised her that using her own could cause suspicion on the team. It was better to be safe than sorry, he’d said. The sun had just recently set, and the street lamps flickering on and lighting up the twilight air. 

“The drumming’s good,” Marinette answered, her voice deep and unstrained. An hour at dinner with Adrien, Nino, and Alya in the school’s cafeteria had given her enough time to become comfortable talking as a boy. Of course she was still terribly awkward around her new roommate, but it was getting easier as the hours passed by.

“Did you find a new band since the last one broke up?"

“Uh… nah, not really,” Marinette told him. _Liar! You’re such a liar!_ She yelled at herself in her head. “I’m planning on focusing more on fencing, actually.”

“That’s good,” Adrien nodded. They kept walking, silence falling around them. Adrien kept glancing at her through the corners of his eyes, and after awhile Marinette finally caught his eye and laughed at him.

“What it is?” She asked. Adrien awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck before shrugging.

“I’m just surprised that we’ve spend more than 20 minutes together today,” he admitted. “And… not to sound weird or anything, but you’re acting a little differently than usual. Is everything alright?”

Marinette felt something nudge against her side inside her bag, no doubt Tikki trying to get her attention. _He’s onto you!_ She could practically hear her kwami saying in her head. _He’s sharp and he’s onto you!_

“I’m fine!” Marinette said quickly, looking straight ahead and avoiding his gaze as she walked. “Everything is great!”

“Huh. Okay,” Adrien nodded. He let the topic drop when they finally got to the gym and pushed open the doors.

“Hey, Adrien! Welcome back!” A bigger guy with brown hair greeted. When he spotted Marinette, he looked between her and Adrien in confusion. “Uh… hi, Mark.”

Marinette hesitated before greeting the boy back. “Hi.”

“Hi, Kim,” Adrien smiled, walking up and clapping the boy on the shoulder. “Good to see you again!”

_Kim._ This boy was one of her neighbors, then. Nino had talked about a large muscle-y dude who looked like he drank protein shakes for breakfast… this had to be him.

“I’m surprised you even showed up,” Kim said, stepping in front of Marinette as she was following Adrien. She stopped, and looked up at him, her eyes widening slightly.

“What do you mean?” She asked.

“You never come! I’m surprised coach hasn’t kicked you off the team yet,” he spat.

Marinette realized two things in that instant… 1. Mark clearly wasn’t serious about his fencing career, and was probably in hot water with the coach. And 2. He wasn’t very well liked, either… Kim was currently glaring at her as if she were a bug under his shoe, and some of the other boys were stopping to stare at her as well.

Marinette had always known that her brother wasn’t the most well-liked person in school, but this… _this_ was nerve-wracking. Especially because now, _she_ was the one that had to fence with these boys.

Panicking slightly, Marinette looked over Kim’s shoulder to Adrien. He was looking at her with concern. He seemed to understand the situation jut as well as she did, and ushered for her to follow him. Breathing a sigh of relief, Marinette ducked under Kim’s arm and quickly followed Adrien into the locker room, which he checked to make sure was empty before he started to talk to her. 

“I’m sorry about them,” he said, rubbing the back of his neck.

“W-why are you apologizing?” She asked.

“It’s just… this team is so close-knit, and I didn’t realize that Kim and the others would act like this when you decided to start coming back to practice…”

“How many practices did I miss?” Marinette asked before she could stop herself. Adrien looked at her in confusion before she started laughing nervously and raising her hands back and forth in front of her face. “I mean… uh… has it been long? I lose track of time easily…”

Adrien thought about it for a moment before answering. “About two months.”

“ _Two months?!_ ” She voiced in disbelief. _He’s so dumb!_ Marinette raged inside her head. _How could he possibly skip that many practices in a row?!_

“Kim mentioned that the coach might kick me off…” Marinette remembered, her eyes widening. “Is that true, Adrien?”

“Um… yeah, he’s been talking about it,” Adrien said uncomfortably. “But he might not, now that you’ve shown up. Just… you better have perfect attendance from this day forth, if you want to stay on.”

“I will!” She said instantly, taking a step toward him with fire in her eyes. “I will, I promise!”

He blinked, and smiled at her in return. “I believe you.” A moment passed, and his smile turned into a sly grin. “Work hard and maybe you’ll beat me in a match one day. But, I doubt it.”

_Woah! The handsome blonde had some sass in him!_

“Is that a challenge?” Marinette laughed, crossing her arms. “Face me today, then!”

Adrien shook his head. “You can’t – I’m on First Team, and you’re on Second.”

“Uhh…” Marinette winced, well aware that this was probably information she should know about. As she expected, Adrien looked at her funny.

“It means you can’t fight me, Mark,” he explained slowly. “Advance up to First Team first, and then we’ll see.”

“So I have to beat a couple of guys on Second Team? No problem,” she stated, her fist clenched in determination.

“More than a couple,” Adrien mentioned slyly, turning away from her. “You’re dead bottom on the roster – you have to beat seventeen people.”

“Seventeen?!” She choked, racing around him to stop him from leaving the locker room. “Are you serious?!”

“This is what happens when you don’t come to practice,” he shrugged. Marinette couldn’t believe this. Not only was she starting off dead last on this team, but Adrien was making fun of her for it! Mocking her!

It was just so… _so… Chat!_

That was the only way she could describe it. Underneath the smiles and kindness, her roommate had a sassy side – so similar to her cat. _They’d probably be best buds, if they met each other,_ Marinette thought bitterly. _That is… whenever Chat decides to start showing his face in Paris again._

“Let’s just get out there so I can kick some butt and start advancing,” Marinette muttered, shouldering past Adrien.

Adrien grinned behind her before following. 

*****

Marinette was rusty, that was for sure.

She sat on the matt, dazed as she stared up at the red-haired boy she’d challenged to a match. He’d looked easy enough – slightly nervous expression, a small stature similar to her own – but when they started fencing Marinette had barely been able to match his pace.

_It’s been two months, what did you expect?!_ Marinette scolded herself, clambering to her feet and accepting the handshake that the boy offered her. Her cheeks heated up in shame. She could see Adrien watching from the corner of her eye. 

“You really weren’t that bad,” the boy tried to reassure her, patting her on the shoulder. “Keep practicing.”

Marinette was taken aback by the genuine kindness – she hadn’t experienced this from any of the other boys except Adrien, and even that was recently questionable.

“Thanks,” she sighed.

“If you ever want to practice more, just let me know,” he offered. “I’m right next door, you know.”

_Oh crap!_ This boy lived next door? Which one was he? There were four!

“Good match, Nathanael,” Adrien called, jogging over to clasp him on the back. “You’re getting better everyday.”

“Thank you, Adrien,” he smiled.

Marinette took a breath of relief. _So that’s who he is…_

“You did well, too,” Adrien said, turning to face Marinette. She crossed her arms.

“Don’t patronize me… I know it was a train wreck.”

“You’ll get it back soon,” he reassured her. “Once I went a month without picking up a sword, and it wasn’t pretty.”

“Thanks, guys,” she sighed, just as a large shoulder knocked into her from behind and sent her lurching forward. Adrien caught her and held her shoulders in his hands. When she looked up, their noses almost bumped as she stared into his eyes.

“Whoops _, sorry_ ,” Kim laughed from behind them as he walked away. Marinette gritted her teeth, and untangled herself from Adrien’s arms. He kept standing there, staring down at her as she stomped her foot in frustration.

“Is he ever going to like me?” She snapped. Adrien was silent, but Nathanael gave her a reassuring nod.

“Kim doesn’t like quitters,” he explained. “And that’s what he thinks you are right now. Just show him wrong, Mark.”

“Right,” she sighed, rolling her sore shoulders back as Coach D’Argencourt walked into the gym from his office. When he noticed Marinette, he locked eyes with her before strutting over.

“Oh no,” Marinette groaned, before turning to face the mustached man.

“Dupain-Cheng!” He bellowed. “I haven’t seen you in a long time.”

“Hi, Coach,” she sweated. “It’s good to see you.”

“Is it, really?” He asked, and Marinette resisted the urge to grit her teeth at his condescending tone. He was speaking to her just like he had the other day! Would she ever win?

“I should kick you off the team right here and now, for skipping so many practices,” he told her. “But… I’ll give you a second chance.”

She blinked. “You… will…?”

He nodded. “Of course! I’m a generous man, after all.” He paused before clearing his throat loudly, gathering the attention of the rest of the team who hadn’t already stopped to listen.

“I believe your sister came in here the other day to try out for the team… Marinette, was it?”

Marinette stilled, her eyes widening as the Coach mentioned her name. Why was he bringing this up?!

“Uh – yeah, she told me about it,” Marinette said quickly, trying to keep the anger out of her voice.

“I had to turn her away… girls just don’t really belong on this team, do you know what I mean?” He was looking straight at her, and Marinette felt a shiver run up her spine.

_He knew._

_How did he know?!_  

“Anyway, your sister accidently left something in my office – come with me, and I’ll give it to you so you can get it back to her, Dupain-Cheng.”

“Y-yes sir,” Marinette muttered, moving forward past Adrien and Nathanael. Adrien looked at her, concern hinted in his eyes as she left.

Once the door to the Coach’s office was closed, Marinette spoke.

“How did you figure me out?” 

He turned around, chuckling at her. “I knew something was up the minute Kim told me that you volunteered to participate right in the beginning of practice,” he said. “Mark was never one to volunteer for anything, honestly.”

“That’s… it?” She asked, dumbfounded. “You recognized me only because of that?!”

“… And I was on the same subway car as you earlier today, and overheard you and your friends talking.”

“Ack!”

Her face reddened. How could she have been so careless?! Her Coach had been on the same car and she hadn’t noticed?!

Her world started to crash down around her as she thought about the boys outside. Once the Coach told them the truth, she’d had to slink back to her old life. She hadn’t even lasted a day!

_What will Adrien think of me?_ She moaned in her mind, cringing at the thought of it.

“Just… get it over with,” she sighed, crossing her arms. “Go and tell them all.”

Coach D’Argencourt’s mustache twitched as he grinned. His usually cold and calculating eyes softened.

“I’m not going to do that,” he stated. Marinette blinked, her mouth opening slightly.

“Excuse me?" 

“I still believe that girls do not have a place on this team,” he said, and laughed as he watched Marinette’s jaw clench in anger. “But I’d never seen someone argue with such conviction as you did the other day.”

“Well, sir, you were being sexist, why would I not argue?” She snapped. He paused, before nodding. 

“But now? You’ve really gone above and beyond to try and prove me wrong,” he noticed, gesturing at her appearance. Marinette unconsciously tugged at her short wig, fingering the blue strands in between her fingers. “You’re very impressive, Ms. Dupain-Cheng, I can’t deny this.”

She wasn’t sure whether she should be flattered by his remarks or not. Marinette was still flustered on the inside from having been found out.

“So… you’re impressed? Great?” She rolled her eyes. “Still doesn’t change the fact that you think I can’t fence.” She sighed before turning toward the door. “I’ll leave. Please don’t tell the guys anything more about who I am. I’d like to be able to live this down.”

“I’m not going to tell them anything.”

Marinette went ridged, and turned. “What…?”

“Perhaps there is a chance that you could prove my previous assumption wrong, Ms. Dupain-Cheng,” D’Argencourt said. “Continue to fence for the team. Prove yourself. I’ll be counting you out the entire time, but perhaps you’ll prove me otherwise? Besides… I already see more potential in you than I ever saw in your brother.”

_Was this… really happening?!_

“You’re serious?” She asked in disbelief.

“I always am,” he stated.

“I-I’m not sure if I should thank you or not,” she confessed, surprised by her brute honesty with the older man. “… I still don’t like you very much.”

“Understandable,” he shrugged. “Practices will not be easy, and I will not go easy on you due to your gender. I hope you understand?”

Well… maybe she was starting to like him just _a little_ bit more.

“Yes sir,” she nodded.

“Good talk, Dupain-Cheng,” Coach said, sitting down behind his desk as if nothing had happened. “I’ll expect to see you as tomorrow’s practice. Make sure you arrive on time.” 

Marinette’s features broke into a grin before she nodded. “Yes sir!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wrote this chapter a few months ago. The third chapter was already published on my tumblr and my ff.net account as well! After chapter 3, it'll be new writing!


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “So much has changed in the past few years,” Ladybug sighed, curling her knees underneath her chin.
> 
> “Tell me about it.”
> 
> Eyes widening, Ladybug turned her head to look up at the darkened silhouette walking toward her along the roof. She slowly stood up, her lips parted slightly as Chat Noir stopped in front of her. A goofy smile was plastered on his face, but Ladybug could see the uncertainty in his eyes as he looked down at her.
> 
> “Long time no see, My Lady,” Chat said softly, taking her hand and kissing it.

“So… you have a sister?”

Marinette looked up from her textbook, her vision dizzy. She’d been cramming nonstop for the last hour, after having received a text from Mark which oh so conveniently informed her that he had a test in economics tomorrow.

“What?” She asked, shaking her head and swiveling around in her chair. Adrien sat on his bed, fencing sword in hand as he swung it aimlessly in the air.

“You have a sister,” he said again, and Marinette’s eyes widened as she turned, trying to hide the blush in her cheeks. She was surprised that Adrien was back so early and had idle time to chat. For the past few days now, he’d been gone all the time due to his dad’s busy modeling schedule he set upon him. This was the first night he was back before midnight.

“Yeah,” she said, making sure her voice sounded deep enough. “She’s my twin.”

“I never knew this,” Adrien confessed.

“She helped me move in before you got here,” Marinette told him. “I haven’t had her over since then.”

“Well, you should,” Adrien suggested, and Marinette turned to stare at him, taken aback by his direct request. “I-I mean… it’s just that, I’ve always been an only child, and I would have killed for some siblings.” He shrugged. “Mark, just make sure you keep in touch with her, is what I’m saying.”

Huh. She couldn’t wrap her head around this boy. At times he was kind, and then shy – sometimes sassy and dismissive, and other times extremely considerate. He had so many layers to him that kept peeling off, one by one.

“Sorry, this must be weird,” Adrien said, his cheeks lightly dusted red. “We never talk about stuff like this… actually, we usually don’t even talk period,” he laughed.

“No… I’m sorry,” Marinette said instantly. “I know I must have been pretty… er… unfriendly in the past. I’ve realized over the last few days that I really need to make more friends here.”

“Well, consider me a friend,” Adrien grinned at her. “It’s pretty late coming, but we’ll get you in the good books with the rest of the guys on the floor. Nathanael already likes you!”

“But Kim doesn’t.”

“Kim takes some getting used to,” Adrien admitted. “He’ll come around.”

“If you say so,” Marinette sighed before turning back around… but not before she heard Adrien jump off his bed, and make his way over to her.

Suddenly, he was touching her right ear. Marinette squealed, and jumped away from him in shock. He held his hands up defensively, a sheepish grin on his face.

“Sorry,” he laughed. “It’s just – did you get your ears pierced?”

Marinette’s eyes widened. _Shit!_ She’d forgotten about her earrings! Of course Adrien would notice something as big as that – they weren’t exactly small earrings, after all.

But it wasn’t like she could just take them off. She wasn’t going to risk losing her access to her powers that easily. Besides, her connection with Tikki was always clearer when she kept the earrings on. The last thing she wanted was her kwami disappearing on her.

“I – uh – yeah,” Marinette breathed, fingering her earrings. “Yeah, I got them pierced.”

Adrien chuckled. “Didn’t know that you were fond of jewelry so much,” he teased, and Marinette’s eyebrows furrowed at him.

“You’re one to talk. What’s with the huge ring?”

Adrien’s laughter cut short, and he brought his hand with the ring into his chest defensively. “Uh…”

“Gotcha,” she giggled, forgetting to keep her voice low. She coughed awkwardly, and returned to her seat so she could continue studying. “Look – we both have a thing for jewelry, it seems. Even?”

Adrien sighed before nodding. “Even.”

They both paused, the silence pushing down on them uncomfortably before Adrien moved toward the door and grabbed his coat. “I’m gonna… uh… go for a walk.”

Marinette sighed in relief. _Thank god he’ll be gone_ , she thought. Although she needed to study for economics, Marinette couldn’t help it – after having been reminded of her earrings, she wanted to go out and patrol as Ladybug right this instant. It’d been too long.

 _It’s a good thing that Paris has been peaceful lately, but it’s driving me crazy with boredom,_ she thought to herself wearily.

Adrien slipped his shoes on before opening the door. “Good luck with the studying,” he said quickly, and left.

Marinette waved, and waited several minutes before standing up. Tikki flew up from under her pillow on her bed and did a spin mid-air.

“I could sense that you wanted to transform,” her kwami giggled. Marinette laughed along with her, before tapping her earrings.

“You bet! Tikki… _spots on_!”

*****

Ladybug launched herself from building to building, enjoying the way that her unconfined hair flew behind her in the air. She hadn’t been able to go patrolling in so long, and it just felt so good to let loose after spending the last few days awkwardly trying to hide her identity from Adrien and the other guys on the team.

A giggle bubbled up in her chest as she landed on a higher rooftop, and soon Ladybug was laughing out loud in front of the Paris skyline – the thrill and confidence that her alter ego bestowed upon her blossoming to the forefront of her personality.

 _You seem happy,_ Tikki chirped in her head. Ladybug grinned and flicked the earrings where she knew her kwami was residing.

“Remember when I used to transform nearly everyday back in middle school?” Ladybug asked, sighing as she stretched out her limbs and gazed at the moon. “I wish it was still that easy. I miss my old room.”

 _I miss all of your parents’ sweets!_ Tikki responded with a giggle.

“So much has changed in the past few years,” Ladybug sighed, curling her knees underneath her chin.

“Tell me about it.”

Eyes widening, Ladybug turned her head to look up at the darkened silhouette walking toward her along the roof. She slowly stood up, her lips parted slightly as Chat Noir stopped in front of her. A goofy smile was plastered on his face, but Ladybug could see the uncertainty in his eyes as he looked down at her.

“Long time no see, My Lady,” Chat said softly, taking her hand and kissing it.

Her first instinct was to push her hand back toward his face and flick him on the nose, like when they were kids. However, Ladybug restrained herself, and instead let Chat straighten back up before she spoke.

“It’s been months.”

Chat sighed, and scratched the back of his neck, avoiding her gaze. “Yeah… it has.”

“Where have you _been_?!” She yelled, stepping up to him. “I know Paris has been relatively quiet lately but Chat, that’s not a reason to just disappear _for two whole months!_ ”

“I’m sorry, I just got really busy…”

“I’m busy too, but I still made time!” She seethed, turning away from him and crossing her arms tightly. “You're my best friend… do you understand that?” Silent tears started to fall from behind her mask, and Ladybug did her best to wipe them away discretely.

“… Hey. Come here,” Chat said quietly, lightly grabbing her shoulder and moving her into his embrace. Ladybug pressed her cheek against his chest, and sighed before giving in and wrapping her arms around his waist.

“I know that no excuse is good enough for how long I was away,” he whispered. “I’m so sorry, Ladybug.”

“You’re a jerk,” came her muffled reply. Chat laughed, and Ladybug smiled slightly at the vibrations against her ear. “It’s good to see you again from… wherever you ran off to.” 

“I wish I could explain to you my situation at home, but I know that you’re against that,” Chat explained, pulling away and gazing down into Ladybug’s eyes. “But even then, I can’t apologize enough for leaving for so long. I’m really sorry…”

“I was really upset for a long time,” she admitted with a sigh. “But… promise you’re back for good?”

“Cat’s honor,” he promised, holding up a hand in front of him. Ladybug laughed before punching him lightly in the chest.

A half hour later, Ladybug and Chat Noir sat together in front of a closed café, lounging at a table for two and watching as the streetlamps twinkled above their heads and casted the streets in soft shadows.

“How’s your artwork going?” Ladybug asked her partner, arms folded under her chest and her legs crossed. He sat beside her, hands stretched behind his head as he gazed out at the street.

“It’s… going,” he muttered awkwardly, glancing over at her with a frown. Ladybug sighed.

“You haven’t had much time for it?”

Chat shook his head. “I haven't even had much time for school, lately. My father, he’s been really…”

Ladybug held up a hand, nodding and cutting him off. Chat Noir paused, frowning – he’d been about to say more, to delve deeper into his personal life, but Ladybug really didn’t want him to.

Ladybug knew very little about Chat’s family situation, and she liked to keep it that way. However, she did know the basics – all from little conversations over the years where Chat had let things slip.

It wasn’t like he was the only one, though. He knew that somewhere in the city, Ladybug’s parents owned a bakery. She’d accidently told him one day back in middle school, when she had to explain why she’d showed up to an akuma attack with her hair covered in flour and smelling like chocolate frosting. She’d been in the middle of making cupcakes with her father when she’d heard the news and had rushed out.

But still, they didn’t dare delve into details. Chat knew that Ladybug’s parents were fun and loving… and Ladybug knew that Chat’s father was strict and that his mother wasn’t around anymore. Chat’s father owned some fancy business, and Chat was usually asked to help with the business, and it often ate away at his social life. However, she never asked him to elaborate.

That’s all they needed to know.

“He’s been running you ragged,” Ladybug stated. “I got it.”

He nodded regretfully. “Lately though, I’ve had a bit more free time. I’m definitely going to get back at it,” he grinned. “I’ll paint something _crazy_ for you, LB!”

“Can’t wait,” she cheered sarcastically with a roll of her eyes. “My art teacher would hate you, you know that?”

“Yeah, yeah,” he laughed, dismissing her with a wave of his hand. “How about you? You still using that sword I gave you?”

Her mind flashed to his fencing sword, which she sadly had hid in her dorm closet behind her clothes. Mark had warned her about hiding it and using his own sword, after all.

“I use it, yeah,” she lied breezily. “I actually joined a fencing team…”

“Really?” He asked in surprise, sitting up. “No way! Which one?”

“…Chat…”

He blinked before catching himself, and sitting back down. “Right…” He winced. “You can’t tell me that, of course.”

Ladybug sighed. “It won’t always be like this, Chat Noir…”

“Will it, though?” He asked seriously, his green eyes bright in the shadows. “We’re best friends, LB, and I don’t even get to know where you’re fencing? I _taught_ you how to fence!”

“You know what Master Fu said when we were kids!” Ladybug snapped at him, her arms crossed tightly. “He recommended that we keep our identities a secret, even to each other!”

“Yeah, key word _recommended_ ,” Chat fired back. “That didn't mean he was _forcing_ us to not tell each other!”

“You’re unbelievable,” she groaned, her head in her hands. “Completely unbelievable.”

“I’m just saying that… the more we grow up, the harder it’ll be to see each other – what happens when we go to _college_ , and then get jobs?” He was standing up again, glaring down at her seriously. “Meeting up as Ladybug and Chat Noir is only going to become more and more difficult.”

“ _I know_ , but –”

“But what?!”

“I-I don’t know,” she admitted. “It’s always been like this, and Hawk Moth is still out there plotting something, and we just need to be diligent until this whole thing is over.”

Chat Noir looked furious, and he turned away from her.

“Okay, you’re angry,” Ladybug noted, biting her lip as she stood up and grabbed one of his shoulders. “I’m sorry.”

“You’re the closest friend I’ve ever had, My Lady,” he said lowly, glancing at her. “I’m not mad… but I just wanted to let you know that this was what was on my mind when I was away…" 

Ladybug nodded solemnly, but expecting the night to have turned out like this. Chat Noir was usually so carefree and fun – these nights with him had always been her escape.

Now, her two lives were threatening to intertwine with each other, and it scared her.

“I gotta get going,” Chat sighed, extending his baton. “My roommate might think I’m dead or something.”

 _Roommate. He goes to boarding school?_ She thought to herself. There was another thing he’d let slip. Or… maybe it’d been intentional? She couldn’t tell anymore with him.

“I… should go too,” she muttered, letting her hand slip away from his shoulder. “Uh… before my own roommate gets back…” _Probably not the kind of roommate he’s thinking…_

Chat’s eyes widened slightly, noticing the intentional mention of her civilian life. He smiled slightly before nodding, and pulling her in for one last hug before stepping away.

“This wasn’t a fight, LB,” Chat told her.

“Right… I know that!”

“I’m serious!” He said, extending his baton and jumping up onto a roof. “Not a fight! I’ll see you soon?”

“Yeah!” She called, waving as he jumped away. She turned, and launched her yoyo toward forward to make her way back to St. Godfrey’s. 

*****

Marinette had just flopped down onto her bed when Adrien opened the door and walked back in. He looked frazzled, as if the walk hadn’t helped him one bit.

She probably looked the same, in all honesty. Fighting and then making up with your best friend could do that.

“You all good?” She asked, watching as he threw off his shoes. She wasn’t quite sure what had caused the awkwardness between them earlier. Was he really that self-conscious about wearing a ring? Or was something else going on? Maybe with his father?

Marinette had heard bits and pieces about Mr. Agreste over the past few days now, mostly from Nino. He kept Adrien under a strict modeling schedule. On top of that, he was required to take additional fencing and piano lessons outside of school.

“The club team is more fun for him than anything,” Nino had remarked. “It’s one of the only times he gets to hang out with friends while still doing something that his father approves of.”

It was almost like Adrien’s father ran his entire life… comparing him to her own entirely laid-back and non-controlling parents, she felt really bad for him.

“I’m fine,” Adrien sighed, dropping his bag and walking over to his dresser. “Are you ready for your economics test tomorrow?”

“Ha! No.” 

“I’m just surprised that you’re even studying, to be honest,” Adrien chuckled, pulling his shirt off and tossing it in his hamper. Marinette looked down quickly, her cheeks flushing red. She still wasn’t used to this at all.

“Uh… why are you surprised?” She asked, flipping through her textbook on her lap. She glanced up, and covered her mouth from squealing when she saw him not only sliding off his pants, but his boxers as well.

 _ABORT ABORT ABORT!!_ Her mind screamed. Completely frazzled, she quickly threw her book to the ground and turned around, facing the wall next to her bed and agonizing over the fact that she’d almost seen more to Adrien than she was supposed to.

“I mean, you _never_ study,” she heard him laugh. “You’d always just leave and go play with your band downtown and… uh… Mark?”

“I’m f-fine!” She stuttered out, giving him a thumb up from behind her shoulder. “I memorize stuff better when I… uh… stare at walls.”

“Uh… okay…?”

Marinette winced, tugging at her wig nervously. “So… I have to face Nathanael again tomorrow at practice,” she said, desperate to change the subject.

“Do you think you can take him?” Adrien asked.

“I mean, I hope so… I’ve been staying after practices and working on sharpening my technique, but…”

“Why didn’t you ask me for help?” Marinette heard her desk chair roll out, and she peaked over to see that he was wearing a t-shirt and pajama bottoms.

 _Oh thank God,_ she sighed to herself, spinning around to face him.

“I didn’t want to bother you,” she said simply.

“Mark, you’re my roommate. If you need help, you can ask…” 

“And… I just don’t want to pit you against the rest of the guys on the team, I guess…”

“Ahh,” Adrien acknowledged, nodding. “You really don't have to worry about that.”

“Yes, I do,” Marinette sighed. “If they see you helping me at practice, then they’ll give you a hard time. Let’s just avoid that whole situation, alright?” 

 “I know you think I was being tough on you at practice before, but I’m not a total jerk, you know,” Adrien explained, rolling his eyes. “I don’t really care what the other guys think of me – you’re my roommate, and you’re showing your commitment to get better. Of course I’ll help you.”

Marinette felt her cheeks heat up slightly. “Adrien…”

“I’ll warm up with you before you face Nathanael tomorrow,” he offered.

Marinette hesitated, before shaking her head. “Sorry, but I still can’t accept your offer. Kim would give you a hard time, and I’m not about to let you do that for me.”

“Then…” Adrien stood up, arms crossed as he looked down at her. “We’ll just practice before school then.”

“…What?”

“Every day we’ll get up early, hit the gym, and then go to class,” he offered, smiling at her shocked expression.

“I still don’t get why you want to help me… we haven’t been friends at all this year,” Marinette muttered, her mind flashing back to her brother’s notes about his roommate.

 _We aren’t friends,_ Mark’s letter had stated simply. _I never made an effort to try and befriend him. He’s nice sure, but he’s a spoiled little rich model – why would I need a friend like that? Marinette, make sure you stay civil with him, but don’t talk to him too much – it’d look suspicious._

That’s what Mark had instructed of her. Be friendly, but don’t look to befriend. Focus on fencing and school. She wasn’t here to make friends, after all. She was here to become a better fencer, and prove to her coach that she could overcome any stereotypes he threw at her.

However…

Adrien was kind, and sweet. And Mark was wrong – he wasn’t spoiled at all. It was almost like he shied away from his father’s life, and wanted to be someone different at the school.

More importantly, Marinette found herself drawn to that other side of him – that sly, mischievous side that she sometimes saw in him. Sometimes it was hidden within his words, or it was a smirk or a glint of his eye. They were split-second moments, but they were there.

There were more layers to her roommate than she believe Mark had realized.

What was so wrong about befriending him? If Adrien got suspicious, she could simply state that it was a change of heart.

That was believable… right?

“So… you _don't_ want my help?”

Marinette’s eyes snapped up to his green ones. He was looking at her expectedly.

“N-no, I –”

_He’s a spoiled little rich model…_

That wasn’t true… there was so much more, she could tell…

“I would love your help…” 

Adrien grinned. “Tomorrow, six in the morning. We’ll whip you into shape in no time!”

***

Their joint alarm went off at 5:30, and Marinette wanted to smash her head against a wall.

“Nooooo,” she moaned, burying further into her covers as Adrien yawned, fumbled for his phone, and turned the alarm off.

“Get up, Mark,” he laughed. She responded by digging her head into her pillow further.

“You said you wanted my help,” Adrien said. “Wanna just call it quits already?”

“No,” she grunted, forcing her eyes open and sitting up. “I have to beat Nathanael.”

“And sixteen other guys on the team,” Adrien noted in a pleasant voice. Marinette turned around and shot him a tired glare.

"Tone down the sass, Agreste. It’s too early for that,” Marinette shot back, standing up and patting down her hair to make sure her wig stayed in place throughout the night. She quickly gathered up her clothes for the day, her toiletries, and slipped out the door to the bathroom without another word.

She knew that Adrien thought it was weird, and she honestly couldn’t blame him. Why get dressed in the bathroom every day? It wasn’t weird to get dressed in front of your roommate of the same gender. And if Marinette’s brother was anything, self-conscious was not one of them. She was sure that he’d stripped freely in their room before without a care in the world.

But Marinette couldn’t worry about that now, she’d just have to deal with the awkwardness. Sighing, she closed the door to the bathroom behind her, locked it, and busied herself with getting changed.

“Ow,” she winced, lifting her shirt and adjusting the bandages that were wound around her chest. She was still getting used to the feeling. At first it’d been slightly difficult to breathe, but it was getting better with each passing day.

Shaking her head, Marinette slipped out of her pajamas and threw on her fencing uniform. She removed her wig, brushed her real hair out, and tied it in a bun before placing her wig back onto her head.

After washing her face, brushing her teeth, and applying the small makeup techniques to make her face appear a little more rounded and masculine, Marinette opened the door and padded back to her room.

“Ready?” Adrien asked, sporting a matching fencing uniform and a duffel bag on his shoulder.

“Yeah,” Marinette said, hurrying to her own bag and placing it on her bed. She opened it up and pushed it toward her folded covers, where she knew Tikki was residing. Once her kwami was safely inside her bag, she zipped it shut, shouldered it, and followed Adrien out the door.

The walk over to the gym was quiet as Marinette tried to stifle yawns. They stopped in a café and both ordered coffees to go.

“How are you so chipper this early in the morning?” Marinette asked, muttering a tired thank you when the barista handed her her drink. 

“When I was away on the last trip with my dad, I had to get up at four in the morning everyday for early photo shoots,” he told her, shrugging. “I got used to it, I guess.” 

Marinette shook her head in disbelief and followed him out the door, clutching her coffee close to her chest for warmth. Even though it was already April, the early mornings were still chilly. “Your dad sure keeps you busy.”

“Tell me about it,” Adrien sighed bitterly.

“Do you not get along with him?”

“I don’t know,” he admitted, shaking his head. “Sometimes?”

“Well… why only sometimes?”

“He’s just… usually pretty distant,” Adrien sighed again. “Can we change the subject? Tell me about your family.”

Marinette startled a bit at his question, wondering what Adrien would know and what he wouldn’t know about her family. Had Mark ever told him anything at all about his personal life?

“Well… uh… before boarding school I lived with my parents. They own a bakery, and we live behind it,” she told him.

“A bakery? Really?” He asked, smiling at the thought. “You’ll have to get me some croissants sometimes… my dad doesn’t let me eat them.”

“He doesn’t let you – _what_?” She asked in disbelief.

“Yeah, and they don’t sell them in the school cafeteria at all,” Adrien muttered, almost sounding like a five year old boy who hadn’t gotten his way. Marinette laughed, nearly dropping her coffee.

“How tragic,” she snickered. 

“It really is,” Adrien sighed, shaking his head. “And you have a sister, right? That tried out for our team? You never told me about her before!”

 _Oh my god Mark, you live with this guy for half a year and you don’t talk about your beloved sister even once?_ Marinette internally grumbled. “Uh, yeah I do… and she did try out, you’re right,” she told him. Adrien perked up at that, but Marinette internally agonized over the fact that her coach had let that fact slip to the team.

“I just always assumed you didn’t have any siblings.”

“Well, uh, yeah I do - I guess I was sort of a jerk earlier this year and never talked about her,” she shrugged, trying to hide her smirk. “Her name is Marinette, and she goes to the Gaillard School for the Art.”

“Wow, she goes to an art school _and_ she’s a fencer?” Adrien asked, grinning. He looked really excited at the idea of that, and Marinette did her best to hide her blush. Did he think it was… cool or something?

“Have her visit sometime – it’s only a few subway block away,” Adrien told her, and Marinette’s eyes widened.

“She’s… uh… super busy at school, it’d be difficult,” Marinette said quickly. “Yeah, uh – they all just started their final projects so she’s swamped with work.” 

“That’s too bad,” Adrien sighed. “I would have loved to meet her.”

 _Oh my gosh_ , what does that even mean? He’d love meet her? If only he knew that she was actually right in front of him…

“Here,” Adrien offered, pushing the door to the gym open so Marinette could walk in. They both placed their bags on the gym floor, and worked to unroll the blue mat and place it down in the center of the gym. Once everything was set up, Marinette zipped open her bag and started to pull out her sword, but not before Tikki’s head popped out from under her change of clothes.

“Hey – be careful,” she hissed, crouching and hiding her bag from view. Adrien was across the gym, grabbing things from his own bag as well.

“Marinette – I have sometime I think I need to tell you,” Tikki stressed, her eyes wide with excitement. “But – but I’m not sure if I should, you might be mad at me and –”

“Whatever it is, it can wait,” Marinette whispered urgently. “There are cookies in a ziplock bag in there somewhere, so _please_ try to stay quiet!”

“But Marinette –” Tikki chirped. Marintette quickly zipped the bag shut, pinching the bridge of her nose between her fingers. What if Adrien had seen Tikki? She would have had so much explaining to do…

Hiding both your gender _and_ you superhero identity from your roommate was no easy task, that was for sure. 

*****

Tikki yelped as Marinette zipped the bag shut. She considered flying through the fabric of the bag with her powers and chasing after her charge, but quickly thought against it. That would only be causing a scene, and Tikki knew that she was smarter than that. 

“Do I even tell her?” Tikki muttered to herself, floating back down to sit atop one of Marinette’s textbooks. “She’s always said that she doesn't want to know who he really is, but… this has to be fate!”

Groaning, she rubbed her tiny head and sighed. “Maybe I shouldn’t… I’ll have to tell Plagg to keep this mouth shut tonight when they’re both asleep… unless he’s already told Adrien about me? Oh no!” The tiny kwami slumped down. “I haaaate that cat!” 

***** 

“ _Plagg_ , this is not a good time!” Adrien hissed, making sure that his bag was out of sight from Mark’s vision.

“But… there’s something really important that you should know!” Plagg stressed, his tiny whiskers twitching in excitement. “It’s about Ladybug!”

“It’s – _what_?” Adrien breathed, moving his head closer to his kwami. “What about her?”

“Well, she’s… she’s…” Plagg was quivering excitement.

“Spit it out, Plagg!”

“She’s going to be made entirely out of _cheese!”_ Plagg squealed. “There’s a sculptor downtown who’s making a cheese sculpture of Ladybug and putting it on display… can we go? Please please please please _please?"_

Adrien promptly closed his bag in frustration.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Posting chapter 4 later tonight!


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Adrien… liking me… it’s laughable,” Marinette muttered, shouldering her own bag and walking outside back toward her school.
> 
> Tikki’s head popped out from her bag. “Why are you embarrassed by the idea, Marinette? Do you have a crush maybe?”
> 
> “N-no way!”
> 
> “Or do you like Chat Noir better?” She giggled suggestively.

Practice with Adrien that morning was… rough. Her roommate didn’t exactly go easy on her during their sparring matches.

On one hand, she was grateful. It’d been months since she had properly trained with someone who went hard on her. Chat Noir had never let Ladybug win on purpose, even _with_ his massive soft spot he held for his spotted partner.

However, it’d made her a much better fencer, and Adrien’s relentless sparring was helping Marinette quickly get back on track.

Still, it _did_ hurt when she hit the floor for what must have been the dozenth time, rubbing her back as Adrien leveled his sword at her mask. He threw off his own and grinned.

“You were better that time,” Adrien said, drawing back and saluting her with his sword. Marinette jumped to her feet, wincing but saluting him back.

“I still ended up on my butt.”

“At least you landed more gracefully than before.”

“Ha ha,” she deadpanned, getting back into a fighting stance.

“Last one! We have class soon,” Adrien said, following suit and dropping his mask back down.

They paused for a moment, regarding each other with calculated looks, before both yelling ‘ _En Garde!’_ and springing into action. Marinette quickly went for the offensive, a tactic she favored, and aimed her sword for the lamé that he wore over his uniform.

Adrien parried, but not as easily as he had earlier throughout the morning. She was getting quicker with her lunges, so Adrien had to react faster. He tripped backwards a bit, parrying another blow before going in for a strike of his own.

Marinette’s eyes widened, and she parried before retreating backwards. Adrien, now on the offensive, pursued her, and she kept stepping away from him, feigning a retreat until she was at the edge of the matt. When Adrien lunged, Marinette dodged and leapt forward, quickly discarding her defensive stance and going for the kill instead.

 _I’ve got him!_ Marinette chanted in her head.

Adrien leaned backwards, the tip of Marinette’s sword just skimming over the mesh of his mask. She was blown away by the boy’s flexibility, and Adrien used her moment of awe to right himself and lunge, striking her in the chest of her uniform.

“Gotcha,” Adrien laughed, pulling off his mask. “That was good, Mark. You almost had me for a second there.”

Marinette sighed, throwing her mask back and running her fingers through her wig, making sure that it was still in place. To Adrien, it simply looked like she was fixing her hair after the fight.

“You look fine, don’t worry,” he grinned, walking by her and clapping her on the shoulder.

“I did almost have you, didn’t I?” Marinette chuckled, hurrying to catch up with him as he made his way to the water fountain across the gym. “You were sweating there!”

“I wasn’t _sweating.”_

“And when you bent backwards… you were as flexible as a cat!”

“A cat, huh?”

“Thanks though, really,” Marinette said, smiling up at him as he leaned back from the water fountain. “Thanks for not going easy on me… I really appreciate it.”

“Why would I _not_ go easy on you?” Adrien asked, glancing down at her curiously.

_Because I’m a girl, and I’m afraid you might feel the same way as Coach D’Argencourt..._

“Because I’m your roommate,” Marinette said instead.

“Honestly? I’m just glad that you finally started showing up to practice,” Adrien said, shrugging as they went to collect their bags. “Besides… I like helping. I taught fencing to one of my friends for a while, and they ended up really loving the sport.”

Marinette grinned at the thought of Adrien teaching a newbie fencer the ins and outs of the sport. It reminded her of her own time with Chat Noir. When they weren’t battling akumas or running around on patrol, he’d taken the time to help her learn.

She was glad she’d been able to see him last night, if only for a moment.

“ _It wasn’t a fight, LB!”_

That’s what he’d said to her, as he dashed off into the night. She really wanted to believe that they _were_ alright, but Marinette couldn’t be sure. They _had_ known each other for years, after all. It was only a matter of time before Chat started getting just a little bit irritated by the way she tip-toed around her real identity.

Marinette sighed and grabbed her school uniform before changing in a stall in the locker room. She saw Adrien cock his head at her when she opted to change in the stall, but fortunately he didn’t comment on it. When they were both dressed, they hurried out the gym and down the street back toward school.

The sun was high in the sky now, as opposed to when they’d been walking at dawn. They chatted casually to each other, talking about fencing and school.

“Nathanael likes to spar defensively,” Adrien mentioned to her during their walk. “He’ll never go on the offensive unless he thinks he can go in for the kill. Fight offensively against him, but be patient.”

“Got it,” Marinette grinned.

“If you can, try feigning defensively like you did in our last match. That’ll probably get him.”

“Right!”

She walked, swinging her arms and grinning, and expected Adrien to tell her more. He was silent though, so when Marinette turned to face him she realized that he’d stopped walking, and was instead staring at a storefront window.

Marinette back peddled, glancing into the window as well to see what had caught his attention.

“ _Oh!_ ” Marinette pushed her face up against the glass, admiring the painting showcased on the display. It was an oil painting, a hazy bridge painted with reds, yellows, and oranges and browns. “It’s a copy of Monet!”

“Y-you know that it’s Monet?” Adrien asked, looking down at her in surprise.

“Of course! This one looks like it was painted around the 1920’s, when his vision started to go. He started painting his favorite landscapes by memory.” She sighed, gazing up at the piece of art. “Almost blind and he was still amazing.”

Adrien stared at her, green eyes widened slightly, and Marinette paled when she realized that she had just gone off on an artist’s rant.

“My sister –” she said quickly, hating that she had to bring herself into the excuse just to cover for her lousy slipup. “She goes to art school, remember? She loves this stuff, and I hear about it all the time.”

“Oh,” Adrien muttered, nodding at her. “That’s cool.”

“Yeah, it is!” Marinette laughed nervously. “How did you recognize it was Monet? Do you like art?”

“ _Wha –_?” Adrien sputtered, rubbing his neck. “I didn’t know it was Monet.”

“You totally did, you acted so surprised when I knew!”

“I didn’t!”

“Do you like art?” Marinette pressed again, silently enjoying tormenting her roommate. “You stopped to look at it so quickly!”

“No, I’m not particularly fond of it…”

“Do you draw at all?”

“ _No_ – come on, we’re going to be late,” Adrien snapped, walking forward quickly, away from the storefront window. Marinette pouted at his sudden anger, but followed him nonetheless.

She’d been excited for a moment. Adrien, an art buff? It would have been too good to be true. She’d taught Chat Noir about art just fine, and he’d seemed to appreciate it no less. It would have been fun if her roommate shared a similar interest.

 _Guess they all can’t be as good as Chat_ , Marinette laughed to herself, thinking fondly about her partner as she hurried after Adrien toward school. 

*****

"You failed economics...?" Aya asked, sipping her tea as she watched her best friend moan across the table in front of her.

It was around noon, and Marinette had just finished her test that she’d taken in her brother’s place. Alya didn’t have class until two, so she ran over after Marinette called her up on the phone, blubbering about the test.

Needless to say, it hadn’t gone well.

“I didn’t even know what I was reading!” Marinette cried, face slumped against the café table. “How was I supposed to learn an entire semester’s worth of material in one night?”

“You can’t,” Alya stated simply.

“Mark is going to _kill_ me!”

“ _Mark_ won’t care,” Alya told her friend, reaching across the table and patting her on the shoulder. “He’s too busy worrying about his music career to care about one economics test. Relax, Mari.”

Marinette groaned, fiddling with her wig nervously. She would have liked to change into her normal clothes to hang out with Alya, but they were pretty close to her brother’s campus. It was better safe than sorry; she wouldn’t want anyone to recognize her.

“Nino’s told me you’re doing well fitting in,” Alya said, trying to encourage Marinette. “You’ve been training with Adrien?”

“Yeah, I have,” Marinette perked up, happy for the change in topic. “We went this morning, and I improved a lot! He helped me get in the swing of things again.” She pumped her fist, grinning. “I face Nathanael again today. I’m going to take him down, so that I won’t be at the bottom of the roster anymore!”

“I’m surprised he’s helping you, to be honest. Does he like you?” Alya asked, accepting the check when the waitress walked over. Marinette made a desperate grab for it, but Alya shooed her away and placed her own credit card inside the pocket before handing it back to the waitress.

“ _Alya_!”

“You paid last time,” Alya dismissed her. “Besides, you never answered my question.”

“I don’t know – I think he does? I’m a lot nicer to him than Mark was, and I talk to him and hang out with him and walk with him to classes and stuff. I think he’s surprised, but happy that he’s finally friends with his roommate.”

“That’s not what I meant, Marinette,” Alya laughed, and Marinette flushed when she realized what her best friend was getting at.

“H-he thinks I’m Mark, _Alya_!” Marinette stammered. “Of course not!”

“Just checking!” Alya teased, ruffling her wig. Marinette pushed her hands away, patting the fake hair down into place. “I’m glad you’re having a good time with the fencing, though. I was worried at first.”

“I was too, but the coach is being cool about it now,” Marinette shrugged.

“I still can’t believe he heard us on the train…”

“We _were_ talking about our secret plans pretty… uh… _loudly._ ”

The two girls sighed, shaking their heads when Alya’s alarm on her phone went off. She glanced down, picking up the device and sighing. “Gotta go. I have class in twenty minutes, so I’ve gotta hop on the subway.”

“Thanks for coming out here,” Marinette said, standing up to embrace her friend.

“I can’t believe I got my roommate stolen away by a blonde model,” Alya grumbled. Marinette laughed, and waved as Alya grabbed her bag and ran out the café door.

“Adrien… _liking_ me… it’s laughable,” Marinette muttered, shouldering her own bag and walking outside back toward her school.

Tikki’s head popped out from her bag. “Why are you embarrassed by the idea, Marinette? Do _you_ have a crush maybe?”

“N-no way!”

“Or do you like Chat Noir better?” She giggled suggestively.

Marinette blushed, pulling her bag closer to her body as Tikki giggled, slipping away back inside.

“Adrien is my friend and my fencing instructor,” Marinette stated. “Nothing more.” 

*****

Marinette pushed open the door to the gym, biting her lip when most of the guys on the team stopped to stare at her. She was still having trouble making friends, especially because it hadn’t been long since “Mark” had started attending practices again.

Kim, the most serious offender, glared directly at her when she passed by. Marinette tried her best to ignore him, and hurried into the locker room.

Adrien was inside, standing in front of his locker and zipping up the front of his uniform. Marinette waved, and quickly stepped into one of the stalls in the back of the room.

“You know you don’t have to always change in there… right?” Adrien called.

Marinette winced, pulling off her shirt and tugging the wrappings around her chest more tightly into place.

“I’m just more comfortable in here!” Marinette called back, kicking off her pants and pulling on her uniform. When she was dressed, she threw her clothes into her bag and stepped out in record time.

Adrien was standing there, regarding her curiously.

“If you’re worried about… you know… your body… then it’s okay,” Adrien said. “No one will judge you here.”

Warning bells went off in Marinette’s head. _Did he… did he know? What was he talking about?!_

“W-what do you mean?” She laughed nervously.

“Well… you’re not very… you know.” Adrien curled his bicep, pointing to it.

Marinette blinked before breaking out into a fit of giggles.

“You think I’m embarrassed because I’m not muscular?” She laughed, thankful for dodging a potential bullet. Still, the comment didn’t fail to wound. Marinette _was_ pretty muscular for a girl, actually. Doubling as Ladybug and saving Paris from evil for the past few years had helped her harden her body and build up some serious muscle.

Still, she _was_ quite tiny, especially for someone who was supposed to be a boy.

But it was laughable that Adrien thought she was embarrassed because of it, and opted to change behind a curtain for that reason. Were men really _that_ self-conscious about how muscular they were?

“You’re not?” Adrien questioned her, brows furrowed.

“No! I just like changing in privacy, is that so weird?”

“No, I mean… I guess not.”

Marinette laughed again, relieved that Adrien wasn’t suspicious of her. He grumbled to himself, following her out the door and to the gym.

“Hey, Mark!” A pleasant voice called. Marinette looked up. The friendly redhead, Nathanael, walked toward her, waving. “You ready?”

Marinette beamed, dropping her bag and pulling her sword out. “You bet!”

Adrien stepped back to join the other boys at the bleachers. Marinette could feel Kim glaring daggers into her back, but she tried her best to ignore it as she hurried to her side of the matt and faced Nathanael.

“You two going at it again today?” Coach D’Argencourt questioned, noticing their positions and walking up to the matt. “Dupain-Cheng is making a leap from the bottom rung of the ladder, is he?”

Marinette noticed the flash of a grin and the knowing smile on D’Argencourt’s face, and she tried not to grit her teeth. He was enjoying this immensely, she could tell.

“Yes sir, I am,” she stated, balancing her sword in her hand and spreading her feet. Nathanael smiled at her before pulling down his mask and taking on a similar stance.

“Best of luck,” he said cheerfully.

“Same to you!”

D’Argencourt waited for a few moments before blowing his whistle. “ _Pret? Allez!”_

 _Nathanael likes to spar defensively,_ Adrien’s voice echoed in her head. Almost immediately, Nathaneal was moving backwards, sword leveled before him, as if he was waiting for her to attack. _He’ll never go on the offensive unless he thinks he can go in for the kill. Fight offensively against him, but be patient._

_Patience…_

Marinette moved forward, keeping track of the distance between them carefully. She lunged, and as expected Nathanael parried, waiting for her to lose her balance so he could have an opening. But Marinette drew back, making sure to stay on her feet and keep her body guarded.

Again, she went for a lunge, and again Nathanael blocked. They kept at this game for a while, and Marinette knew that she would need to change it up soon. If she didn’t, then this match could go on forever.

Marinette remembered her training with Adrien from their morning session, when she’d tried to trip him up by faking a retreat. It hadn’t worked on her blonde roommate – he was a much more aggressive fencer, after all – but it probably would work on Nathanael if she tried.

 _Bait him_ , she thought to herself. _Bait him, and then go in for the kill._

With this tactic in mind, Marinette went for another lunge. To no one’s surprise, Nathanael did what he does best and parried the blow. However, this time Marinette made sure to flail a bit, stepping backwards as if off balance.

Nathanael surged forward, now on the offensive. He lunged, and Marinette ducked under the blade before jumping up and hitting him in the chest with the point of her sword.

“Point!” D’Argencourt yelled, acting as their referee for the match. “It’s about time one of you hit each other. We’re playing first to three to move this match along. Got it? Great.” He blew his whistle again.

Now that Marinette knew Nathanael’s game, she had no trouble baiting him again and earning her second point. Nathanael shook his head, obviously frustrated that he’d fallen for the same trick twice.

So, she wasn’t surprised when at the third whistle, Nathanael lunged for her in a reckless manner, desperate to earn a point.

Marinette parried, knocking him back and hitting him in the chest. She grinned when D’Argencourt announced that the match was over.

Nathanael slid his mask back, looking a bit putout for a moment before grinning at her. “Good match,” he said.

Marinette grinned back. “Thanks. You too.” They shook hands, but Marinette frowned when D’Argencourt passed by her.

“Sixteen more to go, _Mark_ ” he chuckled before heading back to his office. Marinette clenched a fist, her cheeks heating up at the comment.

It would take a whole lot of work to earn his respect, plain and simple. She knew that he was betting on her to give up soon, but Marinette would not let that happen. She was going to improve, beat everyone on this team, and _prove_ to D’Argencourt that a girl could fence just as well as a guy could.

 _If he knew about my night job, I’m sure he’d take me more seriously_ , Marinette thought to herself bitterly, walking back toward the bleachers with Nathanael. _I’m a super hero and protector of Paris for goodness sakes._

“Great job,” Adrien laughed, high-fiving Marinette. “This morning paid off!”

“You bet it did!” Marinette smiled. “Are we on for tomorrow morning as well?”

“Sure, if you actually get up on time.”

“I will, I will!”

Nathanael watched the pair, smiling good-naturedly. Adrien turned to him, clapping the redhead on the shoulder.

“You did great, Nathanael,” Adrien told him, and Marinette couldn’t help but feel guilty at the win. She’d just knocked Nathanael back to the bottom of the roster.

“It just gives me an excuse to try even harder,” Nathanael shrugged. “I’ll be gunning for your spot, Mark.”

Marinette grinned. “And I’ll do my best to defend it.”

Nathanael nodded, and turned to glance behind his shoulder at the group of boys huddled near them. They were talking lowly to each other – Kim, Max, and Ivan among them. Kim seemed to be leading the discussion, and kept glaring as Marinette as he spoke.

“Don’t mind Kim,” Nathanael told her. “He’ll come around. Just keep working hard, and you’ll be okay.”

“Still,” Marinette muttered, arms crossed. “He doesn’t have to be such a jerk.”

“He’s just scared that you’ll end up getting good enough to beat him,” Adrien said. “Just be friendly with him, that’s all. He’s hostile at first, but once you get to know him he’s a really decent guy.”

*****

Later that night, Marinette lay in her bed, her phone pushed up against her nose as she texted Alya. Nino sat at her desk, typing away on his computer and doing some graphics homework that looked way more complicated than it needed to be.

Adrien was at another modeling shoot with his father, which wasn’t surprising.

“Does he even like it?” Marinette asked into the silence, rolling onto her stomach and propping her hands up under her chin. Nino glanced up from his work. He often kept her company when Adrien was away for the night.

“Likes what?”

“This… _person_ that his father’s got him being,” Marinette said. “Call me crazy, but he doesn’t seem like the type who would like being a model. I mean don’t get me wrong, he has the body and the face for it and everything, but –”

“Are you calling your roommate hot?”

Marinette threw a pillow at Nino, who sat there laughing. “You know what I mean!”

“He’s always done this for as long as I’ve known him,” Nino shrugged, closing his laptop and turning to face her. “I don’t think he’s _crazy_ about it or anything, but he tries really hard to impress his father, so…”

“His father sounds sort of… strict,” Marinette said, hopping down from her bed.

“Well, he doesn’t let Adrien do a lot of things that he wants to do… so usually he has to hide stuff from his father.”

“Oh yeah?” Marinette asked, rummaging around in her fencing bag near the door and looking for her phone charger. “Like what?”

She stood back up, but tripped over Adrien’s fencing bag next to hers. She hit the floor, cursing, and looked down at the contents that had spilled out of his bag and were strewn across the floor.

There were… markers and colored pencils everywhere, along with a sketchbook that Marinette picked up hesitantly. She opened it up and her eyes widened. It was a rough sketch of… her. Well, not _her_ exactly, but Ladybug.

“Like that, I guess,” Nino gasped, standing up and bending over her shoulder to peek at the sketchbook. She kept flipping through to different pages – some of the Paris skyline, some abstract art, some shots of trees or flowers or bushes.

“He’s good,” Marinette stated in surprise, trying to hide her blush as she opened up to another sketch of her superhero form. “I had no idea that he drew.”

“I didn’t either,” Nino admitted.

Marinette remembered earlier that morning, when Adrien had stopped in front of the storefront window and tried to play it off like he _didn’t_ recognize Monet. Now, it was clear to her that he _had_ , but had tried to hide it.

Had he been embarrassed? Did he keep this all a secret because he didn’t want people to know about it?

“… We never saw this,” Marinette muttered, gathering up the utensils that littered the floor and throwing them back into the bag along with the sketchbook.

“What?” Nino asked, shocked as he watched her place the bag back against the wall. “Marinette, we _have_ to bust him on this!”

“I don’t think so, Nino,” she sighed, standing up and dusting off her jeans. “He kept it secret for a reason. It wouldn’t be nice if we did.”

Nino grumbled, sitting back into her desk chair and spinning back around toward his computer. “You’re no fun.”

“It takes a lot of effort and trust for someone to feel comfortable enough to show off their artwork,” Marinette told him, hopping back onto her bed and plugging in her phone. She couldn’t help but think of Chat Noir, and how shy he’d been with showing her his work when he first started.

It was funny how similar Adrien was to Chat. Hopefully, Adrien would open up and show her his secret hobby soon, just like her partner had.

But for now, it would remain his secret.

“Give him time,” Marinette said.

Nino grumbled, flipped open his computer, and kept working on his homework.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's chapter 4! I'm excited to keep writing this! Thanks to everyone who left comments and kudos! :)

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! This is a fic I'm currently working on that I posted awhile ago on my fanfiction account and my tumblr. Figured I'd post it here as well!


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